BBC responds to backlash to article about lesbians ‘being pressured into sex by some trans women’
"The BBC is here to ensure debate and to make sure a wide a range of voices are heard"
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: wiki
The BBC has addressed backlash over an article about lesbian women published on its website yesterday headlined ‘we’re being pressured into sex by some trans women’.
The report, which opens with the question, ‘is a lesbian transphobic if she does not want to have sex with trans women?’ quotes several anonymous interviewees on the subject.
It also cites a survey of 80 lesbians, of which 56% of respondents said they have been ‘pressured or coerced to accept a trans women as a sexual partner.’
The article has been publicly criticised by the likes of comic Rosie Jones, who called it “transphobic” on Twitter, and Stonewall co-founder Lisa Power.
“It went through our rigorous editorial processes”
In a statement provided to Attitude yesterday evening, a BBC spokesperson said: “The article looks at a complex subject from different perspectives and acknowledges it is difficult to assess the extent of the issue.
“It includes testimony from a range of different sources and provides appropriate context. It went through our rigorous editorial processes.
“It is important that journalism looks at issues – even where there are strongly held positions. The BBC is here to ensure debate and to make sure a wide a range of voices are heard.”